


The End and the Beginning

by writerforlife



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Post-The Raven King, The Raven King Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-29
Updated: 2016-04-29
Packaged: 2018-06-05 07:56:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6696334
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/writerforlife/pseuds/writerforlife
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything must come to an end. With every end comes a beginning. For Ronan, Adam, Gansey, and Blue, the end of one thing lends itself to the beginning of something wonderful.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The End and the Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This is most definitely post Raven King. There are spoilers here! For those of you who have finished, please enjoy!

This was how it ended:

It ended with Gansey, Adam, and Blue all walking across a stage with a diploma in hand. Ronan attended neither ceremony, but that was alright. Nobody blamed him.

It ended with Ronan falling asleep with a present in mind for Blue, something he knew would capture the essence of who she was and what she loved. 

It ended with Gansey explaining the benefits of gap years to his parents with Henry there to provide stories, statistics, and backup. His parents finally agreed, as he knew they eventually would. 

It ended with the four of them realizing that Noah had passed on for good and all going to his gravestone to lay flowers.

It ended with one last trip to Nino’s, with ordering more pizza than they could possibly eat. Gansey looked at Adam and Ronan, sitting pressed together even though there was plenty of room in the booth. He looked at Henry and Blue, who had road maps spread out in front of them. He thought,  _ This is my family. _

It ended with Gansey, Blue, Henry, Adam, and Ronan saying good-bye while the sun rose, the newest Camaro loaded down with bags, maps, and various dream objects Ronan had hid that he thought may help them.

It ended with Gansey embracing Ronan, with Gansey fist bumping fists with Adam and then shaking his hand. Equals. Blue hugged both of them. Then she got into the driver’s seat. Henry got into the back and Gansey rode shotgun. 

It ended with  Adam and Ronan standing side by side in the morning light while they watched the Camaro fade into the horizon.

It ended with Blue wiping away a tear as she left the only town she had ever known and many of the people she had ever loved.

And this is how it began:

It began with Adam and Ronan going back to the Barns and attempting to make pancakes while Opal chased Chainsaw through the house. Ronan tossed a handful of flour onto Adam’s face and laughed maniacally. He only stopped when Adam playfully smacked a flour handprint onto the back of his jeans. A sense of happiness filled him from head to toe as he watched Adam smirk and turn back to the griddle. 

It began with Blue, Gansey, and Henry not knowing where to go, and Gansey deciding to follow ancient advice: “Go west, young man.” They drove during the day, music blaring from the speakers, the windows down, Blue’s hair blowing in the wind, and Henry tracking cops with Robobee so they knew when they could speed. 

It began with Opal claiming Matthew’s room at the Barns as her own and Adam’s drawer of things slowly transforming into a cabinet of things. When Adam stayed over for three consecutive nights, they decided that he should just move from St. Agnes. 

It began with Blue, Gansey, and Henry sitting around a campfire roasting marshmallows, Gansey’s coat around Blue’s shoulders and her head on his shoulder. She laughed as Gansey set every marshmallow on fire, frantically blowing it out before it was completely ruined. Henry tossed marshmallows up in the air and caught them in his mouth. They were young and free for one of the first times in their lives.

It began with both Adam and Ronan waking up with nightmares about stolen hands, being unmade, strangling each other, and dead friends. Some nights, Adam stared at his own hands and wouldn’t touch Ronan. Some nights, Ronan screamed himself hoarse and scrambled away from Adam. But some nights, they laid there together, wrapped up in each other's’ arms.

It began with Blue quietly filling in the gaps in Gansey’s knowledge. Cabeswater had done a good job, but sometimes, Gansey woke up in the middle of the night with burning questions. He would forget little things, like the names of Ronan’s parents, where Adam worked, or Blue’s favorite color. She would always tell him exactly what he wanted to know and then hold him until he fell back into an easy slumber.

It began with Adam and Ronan skyping Blue and Gansey when time allowed, laughing over the little things and marvelling at the wonder of how everything had turned out. Adam noticed that Gansey’s smile was readily available and open, now, and his eyes sparkled with every glance at Blue. Gansey noticed how Ronan’s hand stayed on Adam’s thigh and grinned even more.

It began with Blue, Gansey, and Henry standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon, taking in the inherent magic of the place. Blue and Gansey held hands. They always did, now.

It began with Adam and Ronan playing tag outside with Opal one evening, running through the open fields until they could feel their hearts about to explode with happiness and exhaustion. 

It began with Blue and Gansey dancing one evening, music blaring from the Camaro’s speakers. She laughed, and Gansey’s heart did a flip. He loved her.

It began with their clothes falling to Ronan’s bedroom floor and their bodies falling into each other’s. They took it slow. Adam wanted to remember every smile, every gasp, every kiss.

It began with giggling in the backseat of the Camaro, Gansey colliding with Blue and Blue colliding with Gansey. They went fast, hands exploring with vigor. They had never even dared to dream about each other, but here they were.

It began with Ronan helping Adam load his things into a matching BMW he had dreamt for Adam. The summer was coming to an end, and Adam was college bound. 

It began with Adam pressing his thumb to Ronan’s trembling lower lip and promising to come back. 

It began with skyping and emails and texting and midnight phone calls going all four ways. It began with fights and tears and apologies and  _ I love yous _ . It began with the tangled mass their lives had been slowly unraveling itself and weaving into a beautiful tapestry that told a tale of friendship and loss and love and magic, always magic.

It began with two BMWs and a Camaro in the driveway of the Barns on Christmas Eve. Adam, Ronan, Opal, Gansey, Blue, and Henry all sat together with mugs of hot chocolate. Adam was sitting on the couch, Ronan’s head on his lap. He talked to Gansey while playing with the little tufts of Ronan’s hair that had grown out. Henry and Blue were discussing something, Ronan chiming in when it suited him. Blue was curled up against Gansey, and he was absentmindedly playing with the hem of her skirt. Outside, the fireflies flickered and shone brighter than ever. 

It began with knowing that they would be alright.


End file.
